For all my seniors in high school who read this blog, the admissions process is slowly coming to a close, and you may have even received a few letters from universities with your decisions. This is such an exciting time in your life and I hope you take advantage of the experiences that are coming your way! Some important decisions are about to come up and I have a few tips to help you get the most out of seeing colleges you’ve heard back from.

1- Take advantage of all the programs that your college offers! Many colleges offer Open Houses, talks with faculty members, etc. I would suggest doing as many of these options so you really get a feel for each university. Bryant offers chats with admitted students online, Open House, and even an event called Ladies Night, which allows female students to stay the night with current students. These events helped me decide that Bryant was going to be my home.

2- Take another tour! Yes, I’m suggesting you take ANOTHER tour, even if you’ve already taken a tour at the university or college before. I think this is so important because it allows you to hear a different perspective and gives you a chance to ask more questions. Tour guides generally love talking about their schools and answering questions so this might help you get a better feel for the campus.

3- Ask all the questions. Trust me, no question is a dumb question. Ask all the questions you need answers to and then ask more. The only way you will find out things that you’re wondering is to ask away. Ask kids you see sitting around questions, ask your tour guides questions, ask faculty questions, and ask professors questions. You and your family are investing money into the school and your education. You deserve to be heard and sought out. Everyone you talk to wants to help you feel more comfortable and wants to make you feel welcome. I love answering questions on my tour, it makes it much more customizable and I can talk about some of my experiences more in depth that I maybe would have not talked about prior!

4- Go to a class with a student! I think the most telling way to figure out if a school is the right school for you is to attend a class and see what the people are like. How does the professor greet the students? Are the students engaged or on their laptops? Does the professor lecture or does he encourage communication? While you can’t judge a university by one class or one professor, it does give you a look at what the university could be like. I had the chance to sit in on a class at Bryant and this helped me determine what life at Bryant could be like.

The college decision process is an incredibly exciting time in your life! Don’t be overwhelmed, trust the process, and you’ll find your home, I promise. Best in luck with your decision process, if you have any questions at all I would encourage you to contact one of our amazing Admissions Counselors who can connect you to whoever you would like to speak to.